The Beijing Olympics has been designed to showcase everything that is great and grand about China, and there is no doubt that it will. The opening ceremony on 08/08/08 will begin at exactly 08:08:08 pm to take full advantage of the number the Chinese people consider the luckiest. But they are not leaving everything to chance. The city’s massive multi-billion dollar building spree is unprecedented for any city in modern times.

The city already has many fascinating historic attractions such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The new masterpieces of futuristic design will make Beijing an even more appealing. For years it has seemed as if most development was happening in Shanghai, but Beijing is now catching up.

Top of the list of the new attractions is the Olympic Stadium, which resembles a massive bird's nest. With a capacity of 100,000 people during the games, the stadium cost 500 million US dollars to build. This is where the popular opening and closing ceremonies will take place, as well as the athletic events.

Alongside it is another strikingly futuristic building, the swimming and diving arena. Known as "the water cube", it is designed like a box, but juxtaposed with structures that mirror an arrangement of organic cells in the natural formation of soap bubbles. Not since the Barcelona Olympics, where the diving board was set against a backdrop of the city below, has there been such a stunning arena for the water sports fraternity.

Another eye-catching design is that for the headquarters of the country's television corporation, CCTV. The Olympics will be beamed to the world from one of the most original buildings on the planet. Two 'L' shaped high-rise towers are linked at the top and the bottom at an angle to form a loop, which has been described as a 'Z' criss-cross. Nothing like it has ever been designed before, and it has revolutionised the construction of skyscrapers. Costing more than 750 million dollars, the buildings accommodate more than 10,000 people.

The five million sports fans expected in Beijing next month will experience the “new look” Beijing from the moment they step off their aircraft. A massive new airport terminal, designed in the shape of a dragon, promises to provide passengers with a relaxing, efficient travel experience. Designed by famous British architect Norman Foster, it will be able to handle 76 million passengers a year, compared to the 53 million passengers last year.

Not only sports lovers have been looked after during the city’s re-incarnation. Beijing also has a new opera house. Officially known as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the building is more popularly called "The Egg". Made of titanium and glass and shaped like a dome, it seats 6,500 people in three halls. Considered controversial because of its location close to Tiananmen Square, signs are that it will become one of the great opera stages in the world.

If you haven’t got tickets for the Olympic Games and don’t have a hotel booking yet, chances are you are going to be watching the sporting spectacle unfold on television. But there will be plenty of time to visit the city after the games end. Chinese tourism authorities expect a big tourism spin-off from hosting the event.

They believe that people who somehow regarded China as a “third world” destination will be bowled over by what they see on television. Beijing is a modern, vibrant, friendly city. By visiting after the Olympics, you can take advantage of affordable hotel room rates, especially with HotelTravel.com, and the excellent facilities put in place for the games.

Ride the new subway and have a relaxing time with all the tourist-friendly signboards, menus and brochures put in place for the big event. There won’t be any superstar athletes around, but you can join the national past-time of Beijing residents - go shopping. You are in for a mighty surprise if you expect Chinese shopping malls to lag behind their Western counterparts.

Far from it. America's big malls are highly regarded, but of the world's 10 biggest shopping malls, four are in China (two in Beijing) and only one is in the United States. And the US one, in Philadelphia, is in 10th place. The malls are packed with international brand name stores like Nike and DKNY and entertainment venues such as cinemas, swimming pools and sports arenas.

But you don't need to trawl around a huge mall to find bargains in Beijing. There are markets everywhere - and if you avoid the stores aimed at tourists, you'll find some real bargains. You can find the best designer label gear at the Silk Alley market and everything else at the Jinsong Weekend Market, especially jewellery and antiques.

As you travel around this vast metropolis of more than 10 million people, you will discover that the residents are friendly and helpful. They may not speak your language, but their smiles will tell you that you are welcome. And you will be able to feel the immense pride that they have of their historic, yet modern, city.